Last Updated: 14 May 2025
Helsing has introduced Lura, an advanced AI-powered software platform, and SG-1 Fathom, an autonomous underwater glider. Together, they represent a leap forward in maritime defense, aimed at providing persistent underwater surveillance to protect ships and critical infrastructure.
SG-1 Fathom, powered by Lura, is designed to operate in fleets beneath the waves, creating a sensor constellation capable of large-scale autonomous threat detection. This new approach addresses the increasing complexity of underwater threats where traditional solutions no longer suffice.
Announced from Portsmouth on 13 May 2025, Helsing’s unveiling marks a significant milestone in its mission to extend its AI defense capabilities from land and air into maritime domains.
Lura is engineered from the ground up with lessons learned across other domains. It leverages sovereign, scalable, and affordable AI to detect subsurface threats with high sensitivity.
At the heart of the system lies a large acoustic model, similar in architecture to large language models. This allows Lura to classify and localize acoustic signatures—such as the sound of ships and submarines—with precision that surpasses current technologies.
Lura is capable of detecting acoustic signals that are 10 times quieter than what traditional AI can pick up. It can also distinguish between vessels of the same class and processes this information up to 40 times faster than human operators.
Lura integrates seamlessly with SG-1 Fathom, a durable glider designed for months-long patrol missions. These autonomous gliders move silently through the water, surveilling vast expanses and depths with minimal detection risk.
This system is designed to work in swarms—hundreds of gliders can be deployed at once, all running Lura at the edge, autonomously detecting and reporting threats in real time. It’s like deploying a web of underwater satellites.
With Lura and SG-1 Fathom, a single operator from a Maritime Headquarters can monitor hundreds of gliders simultaneously. This provides high-fidelity intelligence at just 10% of the cost of traditional crewed Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) patrols.
The system is designed for rapid deployment and can be operated either as a contracted service or directly by navies. From the shallow waters of the North Sea to the deep Indo-Pacific, Lura and SG-1 are engineered to adapt to any strategic environment.
Dr. Gundbert Scherf, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Helsing, stated: “Lura detects so our navies can deter. We must harness new technologies to keep pace with the threats against our critical infrastructure, national waters, and way of life. Deploying AI to the edge of underwater constellations will illuminate the oceans and deter our adversaries, for a strong Europe.”
Amelia Gould, General Manager of Helsing Maritime, emphasized: “To protect ourselves from increasing threats, especially underwater, we must do defence differently. The UK has a proud history of maritime innovation and must never stand still. At Helsing, we know how important it is to learn and adapt from each mission. Lura and SG-1 will form an ever-evolving mission cycle, learning from each deployment to iterate at the pace of the threat – a true 21st century defence capability.”
Helsing’s development of Lura and SG-1 was spurred by interest from several navies seeking scalable, adaptable underwater surveillance. A recent demonstration at HM Naval Base Portsmouth brought together a select audience of users and industry partners.
To accelerate adoption and delivery, Helsing is partnering with Blue Ocean Marine Tech Systems, Ocean Infinity, and Qinetiq. The company plans to roll out operational deployments within the year.
